All posts for the month August, 2015

Cowboys and Indians, dogs and horses, boots and trucks……..What’s not to love?

Once again fashion photographer Richard Phibbs takes us to an exotic locale – this time, the North American West – and whoooo, what a beautiful journey it is. Phibbs’ images have a vintage tintype-look that only add to the mystery of their age. Were the taken last week? Or 60 years ago? Doesn’t really matter…..they’re simply stunning. It’s very easy to see why Phibbs is fond of his Western-Canadian background…….the fields, dilapidated barns, and even teepees. Everything seems to move just a little bit slower in front of his lens. Like the rodeo. Phibb’s version isn’t the blurry, fast-paced jolt that we might expect, but more of a softer, father-son kind of experience.

I know, the name’s a little weak. But it’s the best we could come up with. (and I can’t figure out how to change it now)

After 40+ years of hoarding crap amazing one-of-a-kind items, I’ve been forcibly persuaded decided to thin out the hoard a little…… and pass those goodies on to you kind folks………or anyone else with a couple dollars.

Here are just a few of the gems for purchase in our Etsy shop right now:

This old tin motorcycle wind-up toy:

These charming wooden play groceries:

This little Tonka firetruck:

A Russel Wright child’s tea service:

A Disney Wonderful World lunchbox (sans handle):

Priceless treasures, each and every one.

(and for some reason…..a lot of toys)

Been up for a few weeks now, and we’ve already sold a few things. Can ya believe it?

We plan on adding more, once I start going through closets, and the attic, and drawers…and the garage….Oy!

So pop on over to Etsy and check out our offerings.

BTW…….Jamie says to tell y’all that NO REASONABLE OFFER WILL BE REJECTED

National Geographic magazine, the official magazine of the National Geographic Society, was first published in 1888. The first few issues were mostly a scientific journal, but the popularity and quality of the exotic images quickly changed it to a mostly pictorial magazine. National Geographic strives to include only the best photographs by some of the world’s most renowned photographers. The June 1985 cover, with a 13 year-old Afghan girl shot by Steve McCurry, is one of the most widely recognized magazine covers of all time.

Sharbat Gula’s piercing gaze on that cover came to symbolize the plight of refugees around the world.

National Geographic is circulated world-wide, printed in 40 languages, and has a monthly print of nearly 6.8 million magazines.

With so many copies floating around, no wonder they keep “popping up” in interiors.

I’m not a fan of “decorating”, I think interiors should evolve. Nothing says “This just sort of happened”, more than a pile of old magazines in a room. (It almost takes an act of congress for me to throw out a magazine.)

Since we’re pretty certain that this place is the source of our infestation, I poured a bucket of hot water down the hole. And followed that with a pretty good scrubbing with an old toilet brush. (I was planning on splurging on a fancy new one anyway)

I then sprayed both products down the toilet-hole. Gel first, then foam.

…….and stuffed a “clean” rag in. just in case there were some flies/larvae living on the old rag. YYYYYYUUUUCCCKKK,

The Invade directions said to give it a few days…..then repeat the process. I did.

Like this:

Remember that episode where Lucy and Ethel rent a jack hammer and go to town with it on their stupid little backyard sidewalk?

What? They didn’t make that episode. Are you sure?

That’s weird, because I’m pretty sure Jamie and I reenacted it in our backyard yesterday.

Maybe I should start at he beginning….

The back of our house looks like this: (Ignore the blurry Doberman)

Not too big, not too small.

Ok, the backyard is a decent size, but that 6’X8′ slab of concrete the builder called a “patio” is ridiculously small. Not at all meant for entertaining.

A few years ago we planted the sage bushes and spruced up the furniture a little. But the Big Plan has always been to build a deck that extends the whole length of the back of the house. And one day add double doors from the den and master bedroom. Ahhhhh……perchance to dream.

This week, our contractor* assures us that he can make it happen. The deck part of the dream at least.

The biggest issue with the new deck, since it will hover over the current patio and old air conditioner slabs, is the goofy little side-walk connecting the driveway to the patio.

This one:

We plan on adding huge pavers surrounded by pea gravel as a walkway….so that sidewalk has to go.

It’s about 12 foot long…shouldn’t be that hard to remove. It’s just 45 year-old concrete? Right?

After a failed attempt to lift the pieces with a shovel and a few swings with a pick ax and a baby sledge-hammer, it became apparent that it might be a little more solid than we thought.

“I’m going to Home Depot”, and I assumed that Jamie would come back with a larger sledgehammer.

Nope, he pulled out the big guns. A Makita jack hammer, all ours for 4 hours.

No instructions, just a power cord and an “ON” button built into the handle.

I guess that’s self-explanatory.

Aim it at the thing you wish to destroy, and hold the trigger. Texans understand this all too well.

I changed out of my flip-flops (Safety first) and gave it a try……

How hard could it be? I see meat-heads doing this in commercials all the time.

It’s a little more strenuous than it looks. The darn thing weighs about 80 pounds….and you have to lean all your weight on it. The vibrations are killer too….it’s not really as sexy as Hollywood makes it look in the movies.

We both jiggled like high-speed lava lamps.

But it worked fast. Real fast. Taking turns, it took the 2 of us about 30 minutes to break up the whole sidewalk.

The August Texas heat didn’t help matters, but we managed to haul all the concrete debris downhill to the alley behind our fence.

Jamie counts that as burning about 400 calories each.

Lord knows that Lucy and Ethel, and possibly these boys too, could stand to burn 400 calories each.

Den & Delve created this amazing bag from a piece of an old canvas duffel bag and a slice of leather from a vintage jacket. It’s lined in the greatest red serape too.

Isn’t it just the coolest?

OOOhhh, and how about those patches? They’re vintage Boy Scout camporee patches and pins from the 60’s and 70’s.

Y’all can find this bag, and a handful of other one of a kind handmade bags, for purchase in the Den & Delve Shop.

Be sure to check out the Den & Delve Blogfor more of the story behind these limited-edition (When they’re gone, they’re gone) bags inspired by nostalgic childhood summers. Can’t you just smell the campfire, pine needles and “Deep Woods Off”? I know that I can.

(On a side note here; Yes, everyone of y’all knows that I could make my own version of these….So stay tuned. Because it just might happen)

Like this:

The day after we got our keys to the Cavender house we had a handful of friends over to judge, I mean view, our new home.

Since our friends are all well-mannered – that’s why they’re our friends, after all – they all brought us a little something as a housewarming.

Champagne (Hell to the Yeah), candles, Mexican pastries (from a bakery in the neighborhood) and even a few good luck charms: like an old horse shoe, a glass evil eye (for repelling bad spirits), and a bundle of sweet-smelling sage. All perfect house-warming gifts. Thanks again everyone.

But our friends the Fletchers brought the cleverest gift of all: a rubber bucket filled with hand soap, a scented candle, paper towels, T. P.(duhhh), Windex, and a roll of trash bags…..

….all things they knew we would need that first week in a new home. Clever, clever, clever.

When we heard that Vinnie and Tana were moving into a cute little house just a few streets away from us, we knew that wanted to do something practical for them too. (But maybe not quite as “bathroom related“)